"They are gone," the dragoness returned from the scorched room, "though there are no more nests left for these eggs. We'll have to warm them here with our own powers."
"It's a shame, of course, but there's nothing we can do," he replied.
"To begin with, I would advise using ice magic to seal the cave exits and get rid of this draft. I also think there's no point in keeping this nest intact," the dragoness started giving us instructions. "Close off the exits, leaving only a couple of openings for air circulation, so we can warm the room. Disassemble part of the nest for firewood, and let's build a bonfire in the center of the room, but don't forget about the smoke vent, so we can maintain the warmth. However, the eggs need additional heating."
The dragoness scratched her chin as she surveyed those present.
"What do you mean?" Ragni stepped back fearfully.
"Well, we have to maintain a temperature close to the body temperature for them... I assume you can't shift right now?" she asked.
"No, the poison hasn't worn off yet. Can't you do it yourself?"
"Heh, I could've done it a long time ago. Full transformation takes too much of my strength, unfortunately. It was the price I paid for the power of a necromancer. We'll have to find other sources."
"We can ignite a fire in the center of the pile and keep it at the right level."
"No, that won't be enough. But I see you brought some skins; they might come in handy. Help me," the dragoness started wrapping the eggs tightly in fur skins, leaving some space. "Now, let's move on to heating."
Her cunning green eyes picked suitable victims.
"Alright, you, with black hair, and the one with light hair, get inside."
"What?" Katrina was offended by such a rude treatment.
"What's not clear? The best way to warm up to body temperature is using the body itself," the dragoness smirked, "take off your outer clothes and get inside. It will be cold at first, but you'll warm up quickly."
"Why us?" Katrina crossed her arms, displeased.
"Probably because I and your little necromancer friend don't have enough body temperature for this, and your blue-haired friend would be an interference. Although, of course, you can ask your boyfriend to help you," the dragoness chuckled slyly.
"NO! Fine, if there's no other way, but Krito!!" Katrina shot me an angry glance. "Don't you dare peek!"
"Yes, yes, I'll go and chop some firewood for now."
The girls moved aside and changed out of their uniforms while I dismantled one of the walls of the nest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hilda, keeping her distance from the other girls, trying to hide. The reason was the scars on her back. I'm not a doctor, but such marks are usually left by lashings. Maybe I should talk to her and try to find out how she got these scars.
The girls first chattered their teeth loudly, but soon they warmed up and began to get used to their roles as caretakers.
"Well, you're lucky. By morning, they should hatch," the dragoness tossed a couple of logs into the fire.
"Are you sure?" Katrina asked.
"Yes, I've helped many of my fellow dragonesses with their children, although I've never decided to have my own. Maybe I'll regret it in the future."
"So, was your clan large? Then why has no one heard of the gray dragons?" Ragni wanted to extract information about the dragoness and her kind.
"Well, you see, I wasn't born a gray dragon. It was an acquired ability."
"Hmm, it's rare to hear that from a direct descendant of the ancient gods," Rumy idly toyed with her sword in the ground. "Isn't that right, the first daughter of Azure?"
All eyes fixed on the unfamiliar woman.
"Interesting, it seems someone here knows more about me than the others. Have we met before?" the girl looked at the golem with a suspicious but kind squint.
"Not exactly. We only met once, and I refused to help you then. But I heard about the fate that befell your companions after the battle, so I wasn't too surprised to see you here."
"Do you know what happened?"
"Yes, after the battle, you and your fellow dragons disappeared, and many years have passed since then."
"And how many years have passed since the war?"
"Just over four thousand years. And now this time is called the Great Plague, but people have forgotten what really happened then."
"Wait a moment," I interrupted the two immortals before their conversation delved too far, "not everyone here lives as long as you do. Maybe you could explain everything step by step?"
"Heh, all right," the dragoness stood up and made a slight bow, "my name is Reines."
"A rather unusual name for a dragon," Ragni snickered thoughtfully.
"Why? I always find your names a bit strange," apparently Katrina didn't see anything special about it either.
"No, you don't understand. Each clan has its own naming conventions, but this name doesn't fall under any of them."
"And what are these conventions?"
"For example, red dragons always have aggressive names with hissing sounds to make them more menacing," Ragni rolled her eyes in annoyance, "like Sheraza, Saraz, Ultras – they intentionally emphasize the s and z sounds."
"Are you telling me they haven't changed in all these years?" Reines covered her mouth and giggled softly.
"Well, not too long ago, they finally got a new ruler. I hope Seleria can get some sense into them."
"Hmm, sounds promising," the dragoness pointed to herself, "for example, white dragons like to include a and z in their names, and the stress should be near the z to give the sound a ringing tone. That's how we feel closer to the white goddess Azure."
Reines pronounced the goddess's name, stretching the first syllable to deliberately demonstrate the correctness of her words.
"Blue dragons prefer smooth and melodic names like Melaria, Nerimes, and similar ones. They say their names are whispered to them by the waves, but oh, how annoying they can be," Ragni growled dissatisfiedly.
"Ho-ho, it seems you don't like them very much," Reines remarked with amusement.
"It's not that I don't like them. But they're so cute and kind... it just annoys me. Although the names of golden dragons can be even worse."
"I can't disagree with that. Your mother couldn't remember Verenas's name, right?" Reines smirked.
"Well, how can you remember it?" Katrina shrugged.
"In my opinion, it's a perfectly normal name," I saw nothing unusual in it.
"That's because it's the shortened version. The real name contains over thirteen syllables. Golden dragons love long and intricate names that must mean something, like 'the mountain stream flowing between snow-covered hills'. I don't know what language they translate them from, but only a genius can memorize the result. And try mispronouncing a couple of syllables of the full name, they'll remember it for centuries. So, they created shortened versions of their names for those who don't possess extensive knowledge."
"Then it's even scary to imagine how names are chosen for black dragons. Between Ignis, Ragnalia, and Nihelim, I don't see a clear connection," I said.
"Indeed, I'm not entirely sure myself," Ragni paused for a moment. "My mother says that the names represent the element in which the dragon is strong. After all, we can master any type of magic, although the vast majority possess fire magic. But I don't know from which language they are translated."
"They are languages from other worlds; the gods taught them to us. That's why all ancient dragons have more than a hundred ways to name their children after fire or earth. By the way, Nihelim's name is unique because it means void or destruction. His name was a personification of his power of destruction. Ignis and Ragnos, in turn, mean fire."
"So, why do you carry a different name?" I asked Reines.
"I abandoned my name when I was reborn as a gray dragon."
"Well then, these children are all from the same guild," Rumy pointed at us. "Krito Vale, Rizel, Asura Yukitori, Katrina Del'Serano, Hilda Degarun, and Ragnalia, daughter of Ignis. I believe some of these names are already familiar to you."
"Mmm, so their descendants are still alive, and they still rule three countries?" Reines inquired.
"Yes, although not constantly. There were times when they were overthrown, and countries split into smaller counties. But after the elemental war two thousand years ago, the countries returned to their former borders, and the families of the first rulers regained power."
"Can you clarify what you are talking about?" I realized that it wasn't Ignis's name that interested the dragoness.
"Leran, Seran, and Degar were ancient heroes," Reines pronounced the names differently from what we were used to. Leran was the name of a country, where the stress was on the second syllable, but she stressed the first syllable instead. At the same time, in Seran's name, the stress was on the second syllable. "They were once the first rulers of three great countries and even earlier, they were generals of the first summoner."
Katrina and Hilda exchanged glances.
"Are you saying they are someone from our ancestors?" Katrina asked.
"Yes, they are the founders of your noble families. It would be interesting to see how the descendants of Leran turned out," Reines replied.
"Currently, Seleria is the heir to the House of Eileran," Ragni smiled, reminiscing about her friend. "She may be a bit eccentric and headstrong, but she's a good person. By the way, she has become the new head of the Red House. I can't wait to see her bring them into divine shape."
"Ha-ha, that would indeed be amusing. Considering how the ancient red dragons hated Leran. He was quite a rascal himself and one of the few who outwitted more dragons than anyone else. Especially when he was the only general who decided to name his country after his own name."
"And you mentioned they were generals of the first summoner?" Katrina inquired.
"Yes, don't you know anything about history?!" Reines raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Unfortunately, what they tell us sounds more like fairy tales and myths. Few remember what actually happened," Rumy shrugged helplessly.
"Well then, let me tell you," the dragoness leaned back and immersed herself in memories. "In those times, dragons ruled the world, and though not everyone supported it, Nihelim established a strict dictatorship and subjugation. Humans were practically slaves to the dragons. Not everyone could accept this, and the first to rise against it was the first summoner, a simple mercenary named Rimmel. He managed to pass through the portals and travel to the spirit world. When he returned, he possessed the power of all worlds, but of course, he couldn't defeat all the dragons alone. So, he created an army from the largest human tribes and bestowed great power upon their leaders. Instead of four generals, he led the human forces against the dragons. Clever and agile Leran, skilled in demonic magic, loved illusions and animating golems, which allowed him to capture many dragons. Proud and mighty Seran was most inspired by the idea of magical superiority and together with his clan, unleashed a storm of lightning upon the enemy. Strong and skillful necromancer, Degar, though he possessed death magic, preferred to kill enemies in hand-to-hand combat, earning the nickname of a berserk madman."
"What? My ancestor was a necromancer?!" Hilda's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Well, of course. Did you think the portal to the world of the dead was just there for show? In the past, the Nords were ruled by necromancers."
"I didn't know that."
"I'm more interested in why you said there were four generals," I suspiciously glanced at the dragoness.
"Oh, that, I can't remember who the fourth was," Reines exchanged a look with Rumy. "But he always fought alongside the summoner, never leaving his side. Unfortunately, he perished in the final battle. He was buried together with the first summoner and left no heirs. As a result, the eastern part of the continent, which was meant to be under his rule, remained in a state of limbo."
"Later, the Academy was established on that spot to educate the next generation. Since then, the territory of the academy has shrunk, but its heart remains in the same place," Rumy joined the conversation.
"Since then, the continent has been divided among three countries and the three families of the great heroes."